2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Persich
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a regional name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Persich. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Persich surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Persich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Persich, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Persich
The surname Persich has its origins in central and eastern Europe, particularly in regions that are now part of Austria, Croatia, and Slovenia. It is believed to have derived from the Slavic word "prsi," which means "breast" or "chest." This name initially referred to someone with a prominent or well-developed chest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Persich can be found in the Austrian census records from the late 16th century, where it was spelled "Persich" or "Perschitsch." During this period, the name was concentrated in the regions around Carinthia and Styria, which had a significant Slavic population.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Persich began to spread to other parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including parts of Croatia and Slovenia. Historical records from this time show variations in the spelling, such as "Perschitz," "Perschitsch," and "Perschitzky."
One notable figure with the surname Persich was Johann Persich (1598-1673), a Baroque composer and organist from Carinthia. He was known for his sacred music and served as the court organist for the Archbishops of Salzburg.
Another individual of note was Anton Persich (1790-1860), a Croatian lawyer and politician who played a significant role in the Croatian National Revival movement. He advocated for the preservation of Croatian language and culture during the era of Hungarian dominance in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
In the 19th century, the surname Persich can be found in various genealogical records and local histories from regions like Styria, Carinthia, and parts of modern-day Slovenia. One example is the Persich family from the town of Radkersburg (now in Austria), who were prominent landowners and merchants in the mid-1800s.
Another notable bearer of the name was Alois Persich (1845-1920), an Austrian architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Vienna, including the Votivkirche and the Deidesheimer Tor.
The surname Persich continued to be present in various parts of central and eastern Europe throughout the 20th century, although its prevalence has decreased in modern times due to immigration and population movements.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Persich
Among Census respondents with the surname Persich, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Persich bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Persich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Persich
Persich appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+18 bearers (+17.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,254 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-13 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,072 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+17.0%) | Up 8,254 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 13,072 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Persich surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #135,593 | #148,665 | -9.6% |
| Count | 124 | 111 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Persich bearers went from 124 to 111 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 13,072 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #148,665.
FAQ
Persich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Persich?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Persich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Persich?
Persich ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Persich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Persich.
Has Persich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Persich went from 124 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Persich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Persich, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Black (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Persich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Persich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Hispanic (2.7%), Black (0.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Persich (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Persich mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a regional name or occupation. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Persich (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Persich?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.